In the Shadows
by Over the Weather
Summary: This is a story about a boy named Zeke who gets abused by his parents and for his protection gets turned into a beast until... a girl named Zoe comes into his life. This the romantic story of how they come together. This is my first Fic. so be nice!
1. Prologue

The night was cold and dark, just like any other night would be in the hell-hole of a mansion. I was on the ground playing my x-box listening to the wind howl, rather than my parents arguing. I heard my name screamed a few times among the chaos, but chose to ignore it. I know what those arguments probably would have lead to had my life not been dramatically altered.

That night, my mother had threatened to leave my millionare father for the ump-teenth time. That lead to the usual who is forced to take care of who argument. I cringed when I heard the echos of a slap. I sighed and decided it was time to break them up. I was half way up the stairs, when I heard a knock at the door. My father shoved me to the side, hard enough to make my head crack painfully against the wall and stormed down the stairs, growling like a dog. He viciously swung open the door with such force it made a dent in the wall behind. I groaned in pain and slid to my knees, trying not to fall down the stairs.

"Mr. Wolfe, " the lady behind the door said in a proper brittish accent, "You may call me Penelope, and I am with a very classified organisation involed in rescuing abused children. Your home has been under our watch for a few weeks now and we have decided it is high time your children are rescued."

"Listen here, Mary Poppins," my father growled close to her ear, "you can't take these kids away from me or my _wife_. You got that?" He promptly poked her hard in the sternum and turned to leave.

"If everything is fine here, then you won't be opposed to my looking around the house," the Mary Poppins dubed woman said casually, as she brushed past my livid father.

I quickly stood up and faced the georgeous woman coming up the stairs. Once the woman stood infront of me, she cupped my cheek and inspected an old bruise above my eyebrow.

"How old are you, little one?" she asked giving me a sickening smile, which made her look like a snarling dog. Her pearly white teeth glinted under the dim light of the hall.

"I don't think I should tell you," I growled with a twisted glare. Her cat-like green eyes darkened and she raised a hand as if to slap me. I set my jaw and faced her with a look of determination. The slap never came. Instead, the lady started into another room, leaving me alone in the hallway.

I quietly followed the strange visitor from room to room. The woman eventually found the room where my mother was putting Rose, my little sister to sleep. I ran into the room and stood protectively infront my sister's giant crib. I glared and crossed my arms with a challenging smirk. Ms Penelope smiled again and winked at me. I was busy protecting Rose from the strange lady, yet I wanted to consentrate on what the lady said to my mother.

"Mrs. Wolfe, I have seen enough. Please follow me to the living room and we will discuss our next move."

"What right do you have to invade my home and threaten my poor children?" my mother retorted.

Ms Penelope pulled out a badge I couldn't read. She gave my mother a stunning smile and left the soft pink room. With a huff, my mother soon followed, leaving me alone with a scared Rose.

"Stay here," I told Rose quietly stroaking her blonde hair.

She started to cry reaching for me with tiny desperate hands. I gently kissed her soft head and handed her the teddybear. Rose's gray sightless eyes over flowed with tears.I kissed Rose's fore head again before leaving her alone in her bed.

"Take care of her," I told one of the maids who stays at the mansion. The tiny Asian maid nodded and gave me the usual 'Master Ezekiel,' mantra. I remeber running down the stairs into our living room where the three grown ups sat on the couches. My mother was sobbing, her mascara running down her face. My father gave her a sickening glare. Ms Penelope was talking calmly about me like I was a dog or something.

"Mr. Wolfe, your son will never be able to enter society under your influence, if you really want to keep him it will come with a hefty price."

"I'm a millionare. Take all the money you want," my father growled, "I just want my daughter." That hit me hard. He didn't care what happened to me. I'd known that for a long time, but tears still welled in my eyes. "Do what ever you want with the boy."

"That's what I hoped you'd say." Ms Penelope smiled. Suddenly, she stood up and was towering above me with a sinester smile. Both of my parents stood by and watched while the lady grabbed my arm and dragged me toward the middle of the living room. I was so scared. Ms Penelope gripped my arm so tightly it left a red bruise on my arm.

"Trust me this is for your own good," Ms Penelope growled in my ear as her beauty melted to reveal long scraggly white hair braided down her slender back. Her face magically grew over fifty years older in seconds. I started to softly cry.

"Please. What are you doing to me? Daddy help me! Please... _please_," I begged, as I struggled against her. I stared at the cold stone-like faces of my parents. They sat completely oblivious to my cries.

"I can see there is no love in your heart. I must fix that," Ms Penelope hissed in a monotonous voice. Her yellow cat-like eyes grew cold and distant."You must stay in your true form until you can learn to love. Hahaha! But must also earn her love in return! Only then can you regian your true form!" She began to mutter foriegn words under her breath and a harsh black light surrounded us.

I screamed as long dark fur replaced my beach blonde hair. The pain surrounded every fibre of my being like thousands of tiny pin-pricks. I dropped to my knees as long dark horns sprouted from my head multiplying my pain ten-fold. My ears rearagended themselves and my gritted teeth grew long and sharp cutting through my lips. Dark claws sprouted from my finger tips. I sobbed and tried curling in on myself trying to make the pain stop. I blacked out when a tail sprouted from my tailbone and wings ripped through my back.

When I came around again I was sprawled out on the floor comepletely alone. I suddered as traces of the pain skipped through my body. Everything ached like I'd just done the most intense work-out. I quickly sat up and wildly took in my surroundings. In front of my face a magical message was scrawled across the wall. A sob reached my throate as I read through the dark letter:

_Master Ezekiel, by now I'm sure you have figured out why this has been done to you, but just incase you're denser than I first imagined, I'll explain my intent. You have been cursed and you will remain so until you die. But here's the best part slowly over the years your inner beast will take over your mind until you're more animal than human. Isn't that wonderful? Oh and I have changed all the servants who were faithful to your family into objects. The moment your animalstic side takes over they will just be normal house hold objects. Sadly there is a way to undo this curse. If you can find a girl who can love you in your true form and you love her in return then the spell will be broken. Oh and I've taken your blind sister I'll give her back in three years. Oh and I guess this whole curse thing is a blessing for her. She will get her sight until you can figure out a way to break the spell. Also you'll die if you leave the mansion for more than four hours. Your mother and or father can be your window to the outside world. _

_Good luck!_

_-Your very own personal enchantress. _

I felt like my whole heart had been shattered and shoved back down my throate. She took my sister! How could I ever break the spell knowing she would never see again?

I quickly stormed on all fours into my room and began smashing things and tear posters. What was I supposed to do? I was only eight and my world had just been horribly shattered.


	2. Author's Note

All right so it's been three almost four years since I started writing In the Shadows and now I've decided it's high time to re-write it so I hope you all will stick around and help me improve even more! Thank you so much for your time. :)

-O.T.W.


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